I was talking to a guy and we kinda got in a dispute over my conservationalism, because he's all pro human saying if sea lions are eating the fish at a fishery they should shoot the sea lions. my response was pretty much this:

Typically if the sea lions are desperate enough for food to eat from a hatchery I would say it's because between the 1950 and 1994, ocean fishermen increased their catch 400% and more than doubled the number of boats out in the water. Humans are literally fishing the seas dry and making the sea life desperate for food. Why should the animals be punished because we are so selfish? How is shooting them more fair than asking the population to switch from seafood to beef for a few years till the seas replenish? At this rate even opening up hundreds more hatcheries wouldn't make up for the rate the fish are depleteing due to over fishing. So yeah, I would say that's a pointless and cruel tactic, the same the Japanese are using when they drive hundreds of dolphins ashore every year and stab them to death supposedly because the dolphins are eating too many fish. Personally I believe dolphins to be a more intelligent race than Humans so it's worse than murder to me. Killing dolphins to me is akin to say..burning a church to christians. It offends me so deeply it makes me heart sick.

Yes, quite honestly I think animals have every bit the same right humans. Do I think when put in a situation like hitting a deer where you suddenly have to make a decision, you or the deer, it's wrong to hit the deer? No. I didn't say Human life is worth less than animals, although in some cases I'd be willing to make the arguement. But that's the difference between...say..suddenly having a choice thrust in front of you with little time to make the decision and having time to think it over and willingly say "Yes, I would sacrefice my life for this cause, for this animal, to show people how much I believe in it's worth and to spare it." Big difference between that and putting yourself in a dingy between and whale and a whaling ship by decision. Also if faced with the choice I would gladly put myself between a tiger and hunter's rifle or jump in the water between a harpooner and a dolphin or to cut a great white shark off a fishing line and be far more worried about the fishermen hurting em than the animal.

Would I jump out into traffic to save another Human being? Yeah, I think I would, but not with the same sense of pride. Except in a few cases like if it were a child. (exceptions also including say my friends Tara, Shockbox, Joy, Izzy, my mom, and a few other peeps)

I think..it's important to try and teach people, but no, not to change their minds if their minds are set. I think educating people about animals and how important they are is vital. Do I want to convert everyone to my philosophy? No, I think everyone has the right to believe what is truest to them, I just expect them to give my beliefs equal respect and no more mock me than I mock them. It's like I believe gay people have the right to love whoever they want and get married and be together. In fact many times considering the adversity they face just to be together I have found the relationships of my homosexual friends to be more touching and true than many heterosexual relationships I've seen. As long as they aren't harassing me and trying to turn me lesbian, I find it touching and as normal as any other couple. That's how I roll. Same thing with conservation and religion. I don't try to nag people into my beliefs, I just feel I have the right to express mine as much as they do and when I see something that upsets me I think I have the right to feel that way as long as I'm not harassing someone about it.

-Shelley